Final Fantasy Tactics Advance: Last Chance
by Shining Riku
Summary: The tale of a clan that battles for the very survival of Ivalice. Up against impossible odds, their chances for success are slim, if not nigh impossible. Uh...Read and review!
1. Prelude

Well, once again, I am starting yet another story.

First, I give my thanks to Nintendogeek01, for being a great inspiration, and a great writer as well. You have a been a good critic, by pointing out things I could improve on to become a better writer, and I also greatly enjoy your reviews!

In my opinion, FINAL FANTASY ROCKS!

Yes, the game was so good, and Nintendogeek's "Rise of Despair" story as well, I couldn't help but satisfy my desire to write an awesome story as well!

The game's flexible enough for you to basically decide what happens, and I congratulate Nintedogeek for using this to create a VERY interesting and enrapturing storyline, and the likes. I can only hope my story will be at least as good, but…only time can tell.

There was one part of Nintendogeek's story, that I HAVE to incorporate! I give him credit for the following character description…thingy-magijjy…

Name: Everybody has one, I hope…

Race: The race of the character

Gender: We all know that all Viera are women…Right?

Age: The age of the character

Class/Job: What job/class the character is

Position: Depends on what they do, say, Clanmaster, Judge, you get the picture.

Physical description: Physical features. Ya better have a decent imagination so ya can picture all zis…

Personality: What the person is like

Skills: Abilities they have assigned and such. Even R-abilities and S-abilities.

Equipment: What equipment they have. I'm a super nerd, too. No questions!

Other Info: Anything else that's noteworthy about the character.

And…with that said, I do believe it's time to start, yes? I say so!

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Ivalice, a continent full of magic, and adventure.

Ivalice has been peaceful for centuries. The clans, through an intricate net of peace treaties, have come to an agreement. Since the beginning of the time of peace, there has been less crime and murder, and the amount of judges has decreased slightly, for they are barely needed nowadays, except to judge a friendly battle between two allied clans.

The Bernevian Royal Family has also come to a peaceful agreement with the clan network, and the two forces both push in the same direction as one: for the betterment of Ivalice, and all of it's inhabitants.

But, as it is with all peace, it is only a matter of time before it is shattered into millions of tiny little shards, and the whole world is thrown in turmoil and darkness.

There are a few that see it coming…

But do they themselves believe it? Ones who have lived in peace all of their lives?

Only Time can tell, only Time can tell…But the clock ticks ever closer to destruction. Time is running short, and action must be taken now.


	2. Clan Blue Storm

Now's the time to really start the story! This story will have short notes, so bleah!

Let's get this thing rolling!

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Location: Clan Blue Storm HQ

Hidden in one of the many forests of Ivalice, there lay a small fortress.

It was built up against the trunk of a huge tree, and it was made of solid, grey stone blocks. The small area was surrounded by a stone wall, about ten feet in height. It was arranged in a square, and each wall was roughly fifty feet long. In the back of the compound, up against the tree's trunk, was the main building.

It was a two story building built out of stone and pine logs, and the walls of the building, as well as the walls surrounding it, were covered in ivy.

The fort building took up the back part of the enclosure, covering the whole back wall and the tree trunk, and going forwards from there about twenty feet. The lower floor contained a few rooms, namely the sleeping quarters, the kitchen, and the armory.

The upper floor also had a room for storing, only it was used for rations. There was an extra bunking room on the upper floor, and there was a door that went into the trunk of the tree. Inside the tree was a spiraling staircase that led to a hidden lookout platform in the upper canopy.

It was early morning, a good hour before any real sunlight. The land was bathed in shadows, and the atmosphere was calm and quiet.

Up on the balcony, a Viera red mage stood on guard, keeping an eye out for intruders, or, more so in this case, their clan master who was out on an errand.

The Red mage stood about "5'4' in height, and instead of wearing the usual red colored red mage suit, she wore pink. Her pointy mage hat rested lazily on her long, waist length silver hair. The top point of her cap was crinkled, and her left ear flopped limply to the side. She wore a red sash around her waist, and a slim, sharp rapier rested by her left side.

Her bright, cheerful blue eyes were busy looking through a small, but powerful pair of binoculars. Her fair skin was slightly flushed from the nippy night air, but it barely fazed her as she diligently studied the land.

She gave a joyful cheer as she saw a hovercraft rushing towards the fort, at top speed.

"The Clan Master is here!" She shouted through her cupped hands.

She finally noticed how cold she was, and started rubbing her bare arms before sneezing. She rushed down the stairs as fast as she could, while making as much noise as possible.

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"The Clan Master is back!" She yelled in the boy's bunk room.

"I figured, judging by the unholy amount of racket you've been making." A Bangaa templar muttered.

"…Snork…Whuh? AAAAAAAAAAAHHH! ATTACK!" a Moogle time mage yelled frantically, before falling out of his hammock and landing flat on his cap.

"Gillis, this isn't the time for one of your frenzies. Calm down." a Human soldier laughed.

"Ohhhh…Not now, five more minutes, mum…" a Nu Mou sage moaned.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty." The bangaa templar snickered.

He stood about "6'4', and had a muscular physique. He wore golden colored templar armor, instead of the usual steel color, and instead of blue robes, his were dark green. His pants, beneath the robes, were puffy, and were black in color.

His eyes were an intelligent green, and his scaled body was a dark khaki color.

"Noooooooooo……" The nu mou moaned again.

The nu mou sage's choice of clothing was just the average sage's robes, except they were dyed a royal purple, and he wore no cap on his head. His deep, brown eyes were slammed shut, and his short grey fur was messy and unkempt. The end of his nose was slightly pink.

"…Wake UP, Elija!" The templar demanded.

"I'm awake, Rolf, I'm awake. No need to be so loud." Elija yawned. He stretched his arms out wide, but before he could stretch out fully, there was a crack, and he bent over in pain, with his hand on his back.

"Darn. My back popped again. I think I slept on my mace again." Elija sighed. He groped around behind his back with his other hand, and pulled out a three-foot wooden pole, with a heavy head crafted of blackened metal.

"Dang mace." Elija said as he tossed the mace aside with a clang.

"Elija…" The soldier said with as straight a face as possible. "…That's the fifth time you've done that this week."

"Yes, Chaka, my back could tell me that, yes…" Elija said.

"Aren't you all going to greet the boss? Where's your manners?!" The Viera Red mage squealed from the door.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Gillis screamed. He jumped up, nearly hit the ceiling, and landed right on his hammock, where he buried himself in his covers.

He was about three and a half feet tall. He wore a normal time mage's garb, which consisted of a red cap with a star on it, and a little pearl colored set of robes. His brown eyes were peering out from under his covers. His fur was white.

"Clementina, you know better than to scream around Gillis." Rolf scolded. "You'll give him a heart attack."

"…Sorry, Gillis." Clementina apologized.

"I-i-i-it's fine." Gillis squeaked.

"Anyways, the boss is here!" Clementina shrieked while jumping up and down excitedly.

"….Meep." Gillis' eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell over the backside of his hammock.

"…Ugh." Rolf slapped a big, scaly hand across his helm.

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In the courtyard, near a big set of pine doors set in the stone walls, was a small hovercraft.

The whole clan was assembled in the courtyard, waiting for their clan master to exit the machine.

The side door opened, and out stepped a human Blue mage, a moogle gunner, and a moogle juggler.

The moogle gunner wore normal clothes, only his jacket was black leather, and his beret on his head was a deep green. His fur was white, and his eyes were a shy green. He stood about three feet, and three inches high. His beret had a hole so that his pom pom, and the stalk connecting it to his head could poke through.

His partner, the moogle juggler, stood about three feet and six inches high. His light brown eyes danced with glee. He wore a blue and black juggler's outfit, and his jester's cap covered his pom pom. He wore two streaks of blue paint on his face, one covering the fur around each of his eyes like scars.

The human blue mage wore slightly different clothes. He had on puffy white pants, with a large, studded brown leather belt. He had black knee high boots, and two orange sabers were tucked lazily into the sides. He had on a blue tunic with long sleeves, and on his shoulders, he had a flowing blue cape. Instead of a normal blue mage's hat, he wore what looked suspiciously like a pirate captain's hat. The front was tilted to the side, and on the side of the hat, there was a badge shaped like a blue lightning bolt. Attached to the hat, behind the badge, was a blue stained feather that went up into the air, and over the top of the hat. His brown eyes were kind and calm, yet intelligent and calculating. His neck length brown hair glimmered in the semi-darkness, and he wore two very small blue rings on his ears.

"…Clan master Lance." Rolf said, while bowing respectfully.

"That is not necessary, Rolf." Lance smiled warmly. "But I do appreciate it, nonetheless."

"I take it you found a job?" Elija asked while rubbing his back.

"Better yet: a challenge!"

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So, was this a good introductory chapter? let me know what you think. There are a few more clan members, and they will be revealed next chapter, but…yah, I just hope it was good.

With that said, Adieu, and Review!

-Shining Riku-


	3. A day of Training

…Sigh. I hope my story's at least decent at this point. Does anybody like it so far? I'd rly like to know if I'm doing a good job or not…

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"A challenge?" The whole clan echoed.

"Yes…Don't tell me you all forgot what that means?" Lance looked at his clan members incredulously.

"No…" Chaka said. "It's just that…It's surprising, is all. Nobody's dared to battle us since…" Chaka got a pensive look on his face, and began counting on his fingers.

He wore normal soldier clothes, but his outfit was black, instead of the normal blue. His dark blue eyes had a mischievous glint to them, even when he wasn't feeling naughty. He stood at a decent "5'7'. His shield was hooked onto his belt, and his sword rested on his right side.

"Right, I got it. Six months." Chaka said with a smug smile.

"No offense, but we really beat the other clan down." a female human ninja said.

"You didn't do much, Leslie." Elija stated bluntly.

"At least she doesn't sleep on her weapon." a female moogle black mage retorted.

"All right, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Lance yelled. "I don't know why you all bicker with each other all the time, but we live together as a family, and it's time we started acting like it."

"…Sorry, Clan master." Everybody involved said.

"…It's Lance." Lance sighed exasperatedly.

"Sorry, Lance."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it…" Lance said.

"Guess what?" The moogle juggler said sneakily.

"What is it now, Seth?" Rolf asked.

"Everybody wanna know why we are having a battle?"

"…Humor us, knowledgeable one."

"Well, they heard we have a Shweet fortress, and a nice hiding place, and all that juicy stuff. Well, they want it! If we lose, we gotta move out!"

"And you accepted this proposal?" Rolf looked accusingly at Lance.

"I trust you all to be able to fight well enough, so I figured it wouldn't be such a big deal." Lance said. "Leslie, after all, said they didn't have a chance."

The clan members mulled it over for a bit, before slowly showing their approval.

"…Lance?" The moogle gunner asked quietly.

"Yes, Ira?" Lance said.

"…I'll do my best!" Ira said. He sounded a little sickly, but determined.

"You always do well, Ira." Lance smiled. "I can count on you in a pinch, that I know."

"He he, thanks…"

"So…" Lance began. "…Are you all ready for a bit of practice?"

"Hey! We all just woke up!" Chaka yelled while wearing a surprised look.

"Right. Big deal, we always do this. You should be used to it by now." Lance said. "…Anyways, where's Gillis?"

"He experienced one of Clementina's more…excited moments." Elija said, with a slight pause.

At this, Clementina's face flushed, and turned as pink as her suit.

"Ok, while I go and get the smelling salts, all of you had better be ready for some exercise, or I'll make you do the obstacle course." Lance said.

"Not the obstacle course!" everybody yelled frantically.

"Then I'll see you all over there, all set and ready!" He said as he walked away, towards the building.

Everybody stood there for a few moments, before Rolf spoke up.

"Well, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?!?! DO YOU WANT TO DIE OR WHAT!?!?!" Rolf bellowed so loud a few leaves fell off the trees.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Everybody else yelled as they flooded into the building to get their equipment.

"…It works, every time." Rolf chuckled to himself.

Lance walked back out, with his head down. His face was contorted with effort as he struggled to open a bottle. He looked up, and saw that everybody was gone already.

"They left already? Wow."

"No, they're getting ready…Do you need help with that?" Rolf asked as he looked at the bottle.

"Yes, the blasted things are too hard to open…"

Rolf took the bottle in his hand, and in a moment, crushed the bottle and picked out a few chunks of the salt.

"There. That should be more than enough for Gillis."

"Now what do we do with the rest of the salts!?!"

"We have plenty of more bottles. We'll be fine." Rolf said as he tossed aside the leftovers and dusted his hands off.

"That's the fifth time you've done that. Next time we buy more, it's coming out of your pocket." Lance sighed.

"Yes, Clanmaster."

"It's Lance!"

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It was now about noon, and the sun shone bright.

The woods were full of the chirping of birds, and wildlife, but what was more distinguished, were the noises of people doing their morning training.

Out in a field, near the top of a cliff close to the fortress, there was a dirt track in an oval shape, a few trees with wooden poles sticking out of the sides horizontally, and a deep spring for swimming.

Currently, all of the clan members were running around the track, while doing a variety of extra types of work to make it harder.

Everybody ran with weights tied to their legs, and some were strong enough to carry boulders while running.

Rolf and Chaka ran with the weights on their legs, and both carried boulders above their heads, although Chaka's was noticeably smaller in size.

All of the clan magic users wore weights on their ankles and wrists, instead of carrying boulders.

Seth juggled small rocks while wearing weights on his legs and arms, and he occasionally took a crack shot at wooden targets that were placed around the dirt track. Ira, the moogle gunner, wore weights too, but he shot treated wooden bullets at the targets as often as he could without shooting anybody.

After a while, Lance, who was tossing a boulder into the air a little and catching it, said,

"Ok, everybody, I think that's enough for now. You may do whatever type of exercise you enjoy to cool down." Lance called out.

Seth gave a whoop of joy, and tossed all of his rocks into the air before he realized how stupid that was.

Everybody yelled, and ran out of the way as fast as they could to avoid getting their skulls smashed as fist sized rocks rained down.

Lance slapped his face in exasperation. "Anyways, have fun, and don't kill yourselves!" He walked off with the boulder he was tossing about, and disappeared over a nearby hill.

"Right, you heard Lance, have fun!" Rolf shouted in as party-like a voice as he could muster.

There were sounds of weights thudding into the ground as everybody tossed off their burdens, then they all scattered off their own ways to do their own things.

Rolf stood where he had stopped walking, and dropped his boulder with a thud. He unhooked his spear from its holster on his back, and then he walked away and faced his rock like it was an opponent.

"Ok…Just like practice, Rolf." He pep talked himself.

"Haste!"

Roman numerals swirled in the air around him, then he felt his body speed up, and his heart thumping like a fly's wings.

"Airrender!" He shouted in a sped up voice. He stabbed at the air towards the rock, and he fired off sharp wind spears. The jagged wind spikes battered the rock mercilessly, and before long, the boulder was just a pile of pebbles.

"Hmm…Earth Render!" he shouted after a pause. He slashed at the ground in front of him vertically, and a fissure shot forwards and swallowed up the pile of rocks. It closed up afterwards.

"Hello, Rolf." a Bangaa bishop said as he walked up.

He was six feet and three inches high. His skin was a light, sandy yellow, and he had a trim figure, but for a bangaa, he wasn't too muscular, but he was still stronger than the average human. Instead of white robes with a green collar, he wore blue robes with a yellow collar, and the small armor plate covering the very top of his head had a slight purple tinge to it. The priestly cap on top of that was blue. His green eyes had a strong, and bold but compassionate light to them, and he almost always smiled gently.

"Hello, Father Benton." Rolf said in a reverent voice.

"Well, I can't stay around. I have to wash the clothes, remember the list of chores? If anybody needs me, you can tell them where to find me."

"I appreciate the notification, Benton."

"Ok, remember that, and I'll see you later." He said as he walked off to the fort.

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meanwhile…

"Come, Becile! Faster!" Clementina urged her partner, a viera summoner.

Becile, the summoner in question, raced towards her battle partner as fast as she could with a staff in her hands.

She was about five feet and eight inches high, and her silver hair was cut to neck length. Her bunny ears stood up straight and unblemished, and on her head, she wore a headband with a long, golden horn on it, the symbol of a summoner. She wore a purple sleeveless shirt, and over that, a black vest with two belts crossing her chest like an x. She had purple poofy pants, and black boots that went up half her lower leg.

Just before she brought her staff down on Clementina's head, Tina smiled mischievously and vanished from sight, and reappeared to take a gentle poke at Becile's side with a wooden stick, which Becile dodged at just the last second.

"You can't hit me!" Tina giggled before vanishing again.

"Darn it! You know I can't run that fast!" Becile laughed weakly.

"It you have to hit yourself with Ifrit's fire, do you think you'll move fast enough?" Tina taunted.

"How about I hit _you_ with Ifrit?" Becile suggested playfully.

"Uh oh."

A Minotaur appeared at Becile's summoning, and on the other side of the hill, all anybody could see was a great pillar of flames shooting into the sky.

Back on the other side of the hill, Becile stood before a crater in the ground.

"Come on, I know that didn't hurt you." Becile called into the hole.

"Yep, I wore my blaze robe today, so I feel just peachy!" Tina said as she hopped right out of the hole.

"You are so predictable." Becile said.

"I am?"

"Yes."

"Darn."

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"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Gillis screamed as he dodged a storm of fireballs, lightning bolts, and the occasional chunk of ice.

"You're supposed to fight back, not run away like a baby!" The moogle black mage yelled out.

"But I'm SCARED! Haste!" He yelled out, and roman numerals surrounded him before he took off faster than the wind.

"Hey! I'm not trying to hurt you!" The black mage insisted. "…I've got _Candy_!"

"Candy!?!?" Gillis yelled. In a second, he was back with a suspicious look on his face.

"Yes, candy." the black mage said as she pulled out a few brightly colored, clear globes of sugar.

"…My favorite." Gillis drooled.

"All candy's your favorite. If you fight me, you can have it."

"Really? Truly, Sammy?" Gillis asked in an overly hopeful voice.

"Yes, Gillis!" Sammy, or Samantha, said.

She was a tad higher than him, standing at three feet and seven inches. Instead of wearing a yellow pointy hat, like most black mages, her hat was a red straw hat, with a ribbon on it. Her black mage robes were red instead of blue. Her white fur was nicely combed and brushed, and her blue eyes shone brightly with youth and vigor.

"Please, can I have it now?" Gillis begged.

"No, you have to fight me first."

"If I lose, do I still get it?"

"Yes. Fira!"

"Reflect!"

A big, moogle-sized fireball erupted from her staff, and collided with Gillis just as a transparent sphere surrounded him, and deflected it.

Sammy yelped as the fireball slammed into her, and knocked her back a little bit.

"Mine!" Gillis yelled. He cast haste on himself again, and ran up and emptied Sam's pockets before she could even react.

"Man, it didn't work." Sam sighed as she watched Gillis zoom away.

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"Woah!" Chaka yelled. He fell to the side, and caught the ground with his open palm as his battle partner, a ninja, slashed at him with a katana.

She wore a white veil across her mouth and nose, and her ninja robes were white, to match. She had a cloth wrapped around her head, but there was enough space for her chocolate colored ponytail to slip through, where it hung just below her waist. Her arms were covered by extremely baggy sleeves, and she wore white fingerless gloves on her hands. Her lavender colored eyes, were what really stood out, though.

"Don't let your guard down, Chaka." The girl sighed.

"But you're so fast, Marie!" Chaka complained. "I can't do much else but hope you don't slice me to bits!"

"Show some backbone, will you?"

"I'm trying to!"

"En garde!"

Marie dashed at him, and brought her katana down vertically. Chaka caught it on the flat side of his sword, and deflected it to the side. Marie used the momentum to swirl around, and catch the underside of his blade, and send it flying away.

"I win." Marie said while holding the blade to Chaka's neck.

"Man…"

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"Ok, shoot the rocks as I throw them into the air." Seth instructed.

"I _know_, Seth! We've done this a hundred times, at least." Ira said as he prepared his gun.

"Ready? One, two, Three!" Seth counted.

He tossed a huge amount of rocks into the air, and caught them one by one, and in a matter of seconds, had a spinning ring of rocks dancing in his hands.

Ira waited a few seconds, then aimed his gun at the top of the spinning ring, and fired as fast as he could.

First, one rock exploded into fragments, then another, and another, until he finished off every last one.

Seth cocked his head for a moment, and wore a pensive look, before declaring,

"It looks like ya beat your best record, Ira. You're getting to be a real crack shot with that gun of yours."

"It's a Long barrel." Ira said proudly. He pulled out his gun, and showed it to Seth.

It was a pistol, bit it had a longer than usual blast barrel on it.

"Those things are supposed to be EXPENSIVE." Seth exclaimed.

"It was on sale in Baguba. Lance bought it for me while we were there. I'm surprised you didn't notice." Ira said, mildly surprised.

"I was at the square, performing for some extra gold, remember?"

"Oh, yeah…"

"And look at this baby!" Seth said as he pulled out a beautiful knife. It had an intricately wrought blue metal hilt, and the blade was made of an emerald green metal that gave off an odd glint in the sunlight.

"An orichalcum dagger…wow." Ira gasped in amazement.

"It cost a lot." Seth admitted. "I still had a few leftover pieces of gold to give Lance, though, and he was happy."

"How much did it cost?"

"Now THAT'S confidential, matey." Seth said.

"Aww."

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Lance sat at the edge of the cliff, above the fort, next to the boulder he was practicing with earlier.

He gently rolled the boulder, bit by bit, until it crashed over the side. He watched with an amused expression as it fell, and fell, and fell, while knocking more rocks loose. It eventually caused a small landslide.

Now that it was over, Lance looked up, and looked out over the forest below.

_I never knew I would find a place where I'd feel at home…At last, I feel I can rest._ He thought contentedly as he watched a flock of birds erupt from the trees below.

"Enjoying the scenery, Lance?" Elija asked as he walked up from behind.

"Yeah…You finished ALREADY? That was too quick…" Lance said.

"I stayed up late last night meditating. I felt there was no need." Elija shrugged.

"Ah…"

"You wouldn't mind if I sat here, and reveled in the view along with you, correct?" Elija asked. "I'm still a little sleepy, so please forgive me if I fall asleep."

"Be my guest." Lance gestured to where the boulder was a few minutes ago.

"Thank you, Lance." he said as he sat down.

The two sat there for a while, before Lance spoke up again.

"Hey, Elija? Don't you ever get the feeling…thing's are just too good to last?...Elija?"

Snore

"…Sigh Well, that was quick."

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Ok, well, that's it for today. Let me know what you think by dropping off a reply, please!

With that said, Adieu, and Review!

-Shining Riku-


	4. Battle with Clan Shadow

Wowsers! Reviews! Yay! I'm glad I'm doing good so far. I don't really have anymore characters to introduce, yet. So, all you readers are spared confusion.

I'll have an interlude chapter soon, maybe after chapter six. Sound good?

Note: I just found out recently that I named my main character the same name as somebody else did theirs. Xanthouse, I hope I got that right.

I'm sorry about this, I really am. For those of you out there, our two "Lance" characters are completely separate characters, and I have another thing to say. This story has nothing to do with Marche. Sorry, Marche fans out there!

Remember, my Lance is my Lance, and Xanthouse's Lance is his Lance. Remember that, and you'll be fine…

Again, I'm sorry, and I hope I didn't hurt your feelings in any way. It's just coincidence.

Ok, let's start!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but my plot, my characters, and this story. Xanthouse's Lance came first, but our two characters are completely different. Square Exix owns all their respective stuffs.

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It was early morning again, and everybody had practiced all day yesterday, to the point they felt they couldn't go on longer.

Eventually, Lance had to drag his co-captain, Rolf, to bed. Rolf had stayed up till one, smashing rocks and keeping everybody else up.

"You take your job too seriously, Rolf. I doubt you can get any better than you are now." Lance attempted to get through to his stubborn vice-captain.

"Practice makes perfect, Clan master!" Rolf tried to point out.

"Your practice keeps the others up, and for the last time this week, it's Lance!" Lance sighed.

"…Fine…I'll go to bed." Rolf said, before slinking off.

"Man, sometimes, I just don't know what to do with him." Lance said after he left. "…I've got to go to sleep." Lance went to the back of the fort, climbed up the huge staircase, and stopped at the balcony.

He went over to his favorite corner, plopped down, and slid his hat over his eyes.

Before long, he was sawing logs.

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"Lance!"

"…Ugh…"

There was a blast of sunlight, and Lance jumped to his feet so fast he almost flew off the platform.

"My hat!" Lance yelped.

"Right here." Clementina tossed him his hat, and he deftly caught it on his index finger and tossed it back onto his head.

"Anything but the hat." Lance begged.

"It's the only way to wake you up. I've been kicking you in the side for five minutes, now."

"…Oh."

"By the way, breakfast is finished, but nobody else will wake up, even when I pop into their rooms and scream like a banshee, as usual."

"They're used to your screaming. Try the dinner bell." Lance suggested. "They love that."

"Benton ate the bell in his sleep. He mumbled something about muffins."

"Really? That's….problematic."

"Very."

"I didn't know Benton could eat metal."

"Me either."

"…I've got an idea." Lance said finally. "Stay up here. It might get crazy."

Lance left the platform at a brisk pace, and ran down the staircase.

When he was gone, Tina said to herself, "I swear, he's mad, but that's what makes him fun."

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Lance tip-toed into the boy's room, being careful not to trip on the equipment that was carelessly strewn on the floor last night.

He went to the very middle of the room, and said,

"Goblin Punch."

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The noise outside the room was terrific. There was the sound of many heavy, thudding blows landing, tons of yelling, and then a flood of people pouring out of the room as fast as their legs could carry them.

Lance walked out of the room calmly, and dusted his hands off.

"That was easy."

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Everybody sitting at the breakfast table was bruised, and all were sporting rather large and unsightly lumps on their bodies.

"So…Have a good night's sleep?" Lance asked casually as he strode into the kitchen.

"No." Everybody echoed.

"First, Rolf kept us up until the wee hours of the morning, and then a goblin snuck in and mauled us. Nah, it was great." Chaka replied sarcastically.

"Sorry about the goblin, boys." Lance said, trying his best not to snicker. "Here, White wind!" He called out.

He aimed his palm at the table, and a stream of mana flowed from his hand and created a swirling vortex of healing energy.

Everybody's bumps and bruises faded away, and left behind a very refreshed and invigorated team.

"There. Feel better now?" Lance asked as he sat down and began passing around plates.

"Yes, much." Elija said shortly. He took a plate from Lance, and passed the rest on.

"Ya know, today's the challenge date." Tina replied as she put some eggs and sausage on everybody's plates.

"Oh yeah…I remember now." Lance said.

"Lance you are a very irresponsible person." Rolf sighed despairingly.

"We're battling at the wood's edge." Lance said after he gulped a bit of egg. "This is really good. What type of egg is it?" he asked.

"Chocobo egg. I found a nest this morning." Tina said.

"You are such an early morning busybody, aren't ya?" Seth asked.

"Can't help it. I don't need much sleep." Tina replied matter-of factly. "I managed to get a full grown one, too. I should be able to have it done tonight, by the time you all get back, assuming I stay here, of course."

"Hmm…I think we can manage without you." Lance said. "You sure you want to stay behind?"

"I'm not in the mood to battle today. You don't mind me staying behind?" Tina asked uncertainly.

"Yeah. If you want to stay, I won't make you come. Besides, we could all use a good dinner after a battle!" Lance said. "Chocobo meat tastes better after hard work."

"I agree." Benton said.

"Tina here tells me you ate the dinner bell last night. Is it true?" Lance asked while examining a piece of sausage.

"Really? That would explain my stomach ache." Benton groaned. There was general laughter around the table at this, before Lance held up his hands for quiet.

"Well, we need to go, now. I'll take Benton to Cadoan later, to see a doctor about that bell. Benton?"

"Yes, Lance?"

"If you need to stay, feel welcome to. When we get back, I'll take you on the hovercraft."

"…Ugh…I would appreciate that."

"Whaaaaaaaaaat!?!?" Seth yelled. "We ain't taking the hover craft to the fight!?!?"

"No…How do you expect it to carry ten people? Ira only made it for five, at most." Lance frowned. "I'm sorry, but we have to walk today."

"Aww…"

-------------------------------------------------------

Later…

Lance and his team appeared at the edge of the woods, just as another clan appeared from over one of the surrounding hills.

Lance brought Ira, Seth, Becile, Chaka, and Rolf with him, and much to Seth's dismay, they indeed did not take the hovercraft.

"Lance." The opposing clan master said.

"Oh, you." Lance scowled.

The enemy clan master was a ninja, with deep purple clothing, and at his sides were two black katanas. He was just as tall as Lance. The only visible part of his face were his eyes. His eyes were green, and they had a calm, laid back look to them. Just below his right eye was a scar.

"Yes, Lance, I was the one who called the challenge." The ninja said.

"You just don't know when to give up, Darren." Lance shook his head in annoyance.

"My clan and I have trained much in six months. We're much better than we were before."

"Face it, Darren." Lance said determinedly. "You're just going to get kicked back to Lutia pass, like last time!"

"I'll be the one kicking here today, and you're the one who's going to fly like a Chocobo!"

"Chocobos can't fly, nitwit!"

"You will!"

"…Ugh." Lance groaned. He waited for the judge to appear, but after a minute, everybody was looking around expectantly.

"Where's the judge?" an opposing archer asked.

"Yeah, where's the judge? They're NEVER late." Chaka asked.

"…Tell you what, Darren-" Lance began, but he was cut off.

"No, we're not waiting until a later date, Lance." Darren said adamantly. "I've waited too long for this day, and it's not going to be for naught!"

"Ok, then, your call." Lance smirked. He turned around, and yelled to his partners. "Aim to knock out, people!"

Lance drew both of his orange sabers, and dashed headfirst into battle with Darren.

Darren shot to the side at blinding speed, then drew both of his katanas with a flourish and slashed at Lance. Lance caught the blades on the flat side of his sabers just in time, and re-directed the attack.

Right as Lance ran forwards, the whole area exploded into action and fighting.

Lance ducked under a horizontal slash, then jumped over another lower slash. He brought his left saber down, while swinging his right saber to the right. Daren flipped out of the way and threw a few ninja daggers, and Lance dived out of the way.

"I thought I said no killing!" Lance yelled over the noise.

"Not killing." Darren said. "I'm not evil ya know."

"You make me wonder sometimes." Lance said before they clashed again.

---------------------------------------------

Chaka hid behind his shield as he advanced towards the desperate archer.

"You're not hitting me." Chaka called out.

"Stupid shield!" The archer yelled. He notched a bunch of arrows in frustration, then fired them up into the air.

"Crap." Chaka said. He ran around with his shield above his head, while the archer ran away and took aim.

"Aim: Arm!" He cried out. He released the arrow, and it just barely missed Chaka's shield arm.

"Crap!" Chaka yelled again. He rushed the archer, and before he could shoot another arrow, he bopped him on the head with his shield and knocked him out.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Ira stared down the moogle black mage.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…FIRE!" The black mage yelled.

"Whoah!" Ira yelped. He fell backwards as the fireball just passed over his nose.

"Blizzard!"

Ira got up just in time to jump back as the ground froze over into an ice block. He dodged another fireball, then drew his gun and opened fire.

"Iceshot!"

"Fire!"

The two attacks collided in midair, and showered the two with cold water.

"Brrr!" Ira said. He shook himself silly and got the water out of his fur, then fired another ice shot. It hit the ground right by the black mage's foot, and froze his foot to the ground.

"KUPO! It's cold!" The mage yelled.

Ira shot another ice shot, froze his other foot to the ground, then ran over and opened a box.

"Chroma gem!"

"…Sleepy…Snork"

Just like that, the black mage fell asleep.

"Whew. I need to battle more often." Ira sighed.

_I wanna say Kupo._

"Kupo." Ira said. "Kupokupokupo." Ira swirled it around on his tongue like it was a piece of candy.

"Why didn't Lance want me to say it, again?" Ira spoke out loud.

"…Kupo."

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Seth tumbled about, struggling not to be smashed and strangled by the much bigger human fighter he was battling.

"Get off me, Kupo! You're…Urk...Smashing me!" Seth yelled.

"I'm trying…to…Fight you! Hold…Still!" The fighter grunted.

"No!"

"That's it then, No more nice Guy!"

"…Eh, is that your name, Kupo?" Seth asked.

"Yes, so what?" Guy asked.

Seth wasn't there.

"Hey….OWCH!" Guy yelled. A ball bounced off the back of his head, and he turned around. Still no Seth.

"Hoop!" Seth yelled. He threw a ring around Guy, and caught him on the spot.

"Hey! Let me outta this thing!" Guy shouted as he ran around aimlessly.

"Nope." Seth said. He was laying on a branch up in a nearby tree, juggling balls.

"…What are you gonna do with those?"

"I'm gonna throw them at you until you're KO'd, Kupo." Seth said, before he bombarded Guy senseless.

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Becile locked staves with a viera white mage.

"What makes you think you're going to win?" The white mage asked.

"One: I'm stronger than you, Two: Ramuh!" Becile called out.

She expelled a cloud of mana to summon a spirit in the shape of an old warrior carrying a staff. He raised his arms to the sky, and the spot where the white mage was standing was blasted with lightning.

When the lightning stopped, the white mage stood there, slightly smoky.

"I held back on that one." Becile said, before the mage toppled over unconscious.

-------------------------------------------------------------

"…Hmmph. You seem to be a worthy opponent." Rolf said.

"As with you." a bangaa dragoon said.

"Let's see what you know." Rolf said.

The two ran at each other, and collided with spears drawn.

Rolf stabbed at the dragoon with his spear, but the dragoon caught the tips on his own, and locked the ends. Rolf broke the lock by pulling to the left, then he brought the flat end of his spear down on the dragoon's head. The dragoon hopped back, then jumped into the air with his spear aimed right at Rolf's head. Rolf stepped to the side to let him land, then smacked him in the back of the head with his spear and KO'd him.

"…Too easy." Rolf said.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Darren jumped back and drew a dew shuriken, and threw them at Lance. Lance charged forwards while swatting the spinning blades out of the air, and blade met blade.

The two rapidly slashed and stabbed at each other for a few moments, then they both jumped back and circled around each other before clashing.

Darren rolled to the side as Lance swung diagonally, and rolled right behind him where he took a slash. Lance backflipped right over him, and landed with both of his blades crossed like scissors, right at Darren's neck.

"I'm sorry, Darren, but today, you lose." Lance said.

"….Grrrrrrr…."

"It's time to go, everybody!" Lance called out to his partners.

Seth collected all of his balls, and at the bottom of the pile, lay Guy.

"He took awhile to KO, Lance." Seth smirked. "But eventually, he fell before an onslaught of balls."

Before Lance and his group disappeared, Lance turned back and called out to Darren.

"If you need anything before you leave, Darren, you may stop by and get a bite to eat at my home. You'll always be welcome."

"…" Darren turned, and saw that Lance was already gone.

"…Sigh…" He got up, and began pulling out potions to help his team recover, and prepare for the long trek home.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lance seemed really pensive at the dinner table, that night.

He stared at his plate with a blank face, and he fiddled with the Chocobo meat on his fork for a while, before nibbling on it.

"…"

"…What's eating at you, Lance?" Benton asked. "You usually are not this quiet."

"…I'm concerned." Lance finally said.

"It's the end of the WOOOOOOOOOOOORLD!" Gillis screamed before tearing out of the room at top speed.

"…Get the little tyke some candy, Becile. He'll like that." Lance said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. "You'll find him in his bed."

"Yes, sir." Becile said before leaving.

"Sssso. You're finally going to say what's been on your mind?" Rolf asked.

"You hissed." Lance chuckled weakly.

"I'm tired of sssspeaking normally." Rolf replied mildly.

"And I wanna say Kupo." Ira said determinedly.

"If you like." Lance said.

"Kupo!"

"Yes, Rolf, I'm going to speak, now." Lance said. "And I'd like the rest of you to sit in as well, as this concerns you all."

"…"

"I'm thinking of leaving."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!?!?!" Everybody screamed.

"Sssir, That issss VERY irresssspossssible!" Rolf chided harshly.

Lance laughed a sad laugh. "No, no no no. It's not like that at all, everybody. I'm not dumping you to the four winds."

"Whew. For a moment, I'd thought you gone plumb mad!" Tina sighed.

"You see, we experienced a problem today, during our match. Anybody that wasn't there today care to guess?" Lance asked.

"…You forgot your weapons?" Sammy asked.

"Nobody there to fight?" Marie asked.

"No candy?" Gillis suggested from the doorway.

"…No judge." Lance simply said. "And if any of you have been paying attention to the small amount of news that comes towards our way…"

"…Isss that thisss isssn't the only time thissss hassss happened." Rolf concluded.

"EXACTLY!" Lance said, with extreme emphasis. "This is not the first time a judge has missed his duty. That's what has me worried, everybody. As if the first time a judge didn't appear wasn't suspicious, it's happened again. Only…this isn't the second time. Nobody knows how many times the judges have missed their duties, but they're becoming scarce."

"So, you're saying…" Chaka began.

"Yes, either the judges are disappearing, being killed off, which is very unlikely, or…"

"They're plotting something." Tina's eyes lit up with understanding.

"Also not likely, but this warrants inspection, if you ask me." Lance said. "Unfortunately, I have to cut this discussion short, because ei have to take Benton to the doctor about that bell."

"NOOO! Not that doctor!" Benton paled visibly.

"If he tries anything new on you that's not legal, let me know, and I'll be there to sort him out." Lance said. "Well, that means bedtime for the rest of you! I'll wake you all up when Benton and I get back!"

------------------------------------------------------

"I don't WANNA go to bed!" Gillis squealed as Rolf took him to bed.

"I'll give you candy when you wake up." Rolf offered.

"….Fine." Gillis pouted, unable to resist the offer.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

That's all for today, everybody! I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can, but be patient, I've been kinda busy as of late, and I'm finding it hard to work quickly with my mind stretched in every direction.

Oh well, I hope you had as much fun reading this chapter as I've had writing it! See ya around!

With that said, Adieu, and review!

-Shining Riku-


	5. Visit to Cadoan

Well, I'm back! I kinda wish I could get more reviews…but oh well.

Ya ready for another chapter?

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The nippy night air whipped Lance's face as he drove the hovercraft through the woods.

"Ugh…Lance, this cold air iss chilling me." Benton moaned.

"I'm sorry, Benton. Under your seat should be a blanket. I usually keep supplies on this craft, but not much."

"Thank you….Ah, here it iss." Benton sighed contentedly as he pulled it out and covered himself. "I hate the cold."

"It's ok once you've gotten used to it." Lance said. "But…Have you considered what I said earlier?"

"The leaving part?" Benton inquired.

"Yeah…"

"Well, I don't know. It'ss reckless, but that's just like you, and you haven't steered us wrong before…But if we do do thiss, we may bite off more than we can chew."

"I know exactly what you are saying, Benton, and I respect your opinion. It's just that this has gone on for too long, and nobody's shown any signs of doing anything about it."

"You musst not take the law in your own handss, Lance, it iss wrong."

"I'm not going to, though, Benton. I said I was going to find out what's going on, and if I do manage to discover what's been wrong, I'll let the proper authorities know."

"I do hope you are sspeaking the truth."

"I wouldn't lie to you, I respect everybody's trust in me, and I wouldn't lie unless their life depended upon it….." Lance trailed off.

"It would appear that we have arrived in Cadoan." Bento mused.

"Yeah, I'll drop you off at the doctor's office, and when your finished, I'll see you at the Café. Hopefully, the doc will have enough sense to do the job quickly and skillfully."

"I doubt it." Benton whispered. "He'll probably want to make me sswallow acid."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ok, open your mouth up wide, and swallow this cup of acid I measured out." The nu mou doctor said.

"Lance! Tell him I'm fine!" Benton pleaded desperately.

Lance sat in a chair in the room, with his head buried in a book. When he looked up, his expression was apologetic, but he stayed silent.

"Nooooooo!!" Benton wailed while thrashing against the straps holding him to a chair like the kind you'd find in a dentist's workroom.

"I am sorry, but the only way for us to get rid of the bell without cutting you open, is to make you swallow this acid. I promise I will provide a base substance to neuter the acid." The doctor apologized. He was a fairly meek individual, and he seemed very relived that Benton was strapped up, otherwise, he might be a bloody heap on the floor.

"….Oh no….why? Why?" Benton asked the ceiling.

"Open wide…"

"Lance! Lan-HACK! ACK! Gack….." Benton gurgled as the doctor poured the acid down his throat, with his eyes closed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lance and Benton walked out of the office a while later, with Benton beating his chest in an attempt to dislodge some of the substance in his throat that still stung.

"Nu mou…Why musst they be sso technical about things? They always keep things ssimple, but do it in a ssmart way." Benton coughed miserably.

"No, not all nu mou are like that, silly." Lance smiled. "I'm not sure if you could tell, with your bad eyesight and all, but he was fairly new to being a doctor. He must have started just this week."

"My eyesight is fine." Benton lied, just as he stumbled into a pedestrian. "Oopss, sorry, ssir."

"Your medical records say otherwise." Lance replied in an i-told-you-so tone, but with a caring tone. "I wish you DID have good eyesight, but, such is life. Just a side note, but that was a lady you bumped into."

"Darn…I do hope the folkss back at the basse are holding down the fort." Benton said after the awkward silence.

"They always have." Lance replied with a more serious tone. "But, times have been difficult and dangerous, of late. I wouldn't be surprised if something has happened while we were away, but I honest to goodness hope it will be just the same as when we left."

"Lance…I've conssidered your decission…and…"

"About me thinking about going on a trip?"

"Yess…and I really do not know what to ssay." Benton sighed, sounding as if all of the wind had flown right out of his sails. "…I would like to help you do thiss, but I wonder about the people at home. Can they handle themsselvess without you?"

"I have confidence in their potential."

"I know, Lance, but they aren't you. They NEED you."

"…"

"…Lance?"

"Duck."

Lance grabbed Benton's head, and literally threw him on the ground as an arrow passed overhead, and thudded in the sand, at a trajectory that would have pierced Benton's temple.

"Come out." Lance called out softly, but in an authorative tone that told he would give no quarter.

"How did you know I was there!?!" The viera assassin demanded upon peeking out of her hiding place. She raised a hand to her mouth, and blew three sharp, piercing whistles just as a judge appeared and declared the beginning of an engagement.

"One, two, three…six against us, Benton." Lance said as he counted their opponents.

"Just the way I like it…oogh…My sstomach iss not agreeing with me." Benton sighed as he clutched his upset stomach.

"…Just the perfect time for an engagement, eh?" Lance replied sarcastically as he deflected an arrow. "Watch yourself."

"Yess, Lance." Benton said.

Up on the rooftops was a band of Viera. The assassin was dressed in a normal assassin's attire, and she carried a rather large bow painted black for stealth at night. With her, she had two archers, a red mage, and two fencers. All were dressed in black.

The fencers leapt down at Lance, and together, they pushed Lance on the defensive. He easily blocked and parried their attacks, but they attacked too fast and too often to allow him to fight offensively.

"Break!" Benton cried. He raised his staff in the air with both of his hands, and the space around one of the fencers distorted. She tried getting away, but she wasn't fast enough. Her skin, and all of her internal organs turned to stone.

"Thanks." Lance said as he finally managed to cut down the other fencer.

"Any time."

Lance ran up to the building the others were on top of, and he climbed up by running into the alley next to it, and jumping up the boxes there like steps.

The red mage launched a ball of fire, and then an icicle. He sliced the ball of fire in half, then shattered the icicle with the flat of his sword, before running the red mage through. The archers shot at him as rapidly as they could, but that did nothing to slow Lance's advance. He jumped towards one, and used Drain touch on her just as Benton cast Aero and blew the other away. Now all that was left was the boss, herself.

"Hmmph, you seem much more capable than I expected." She sniffed with displeasure.

"Your mistake will be your own downfall." Lance said.

The assassin drew a katana, and rushed Lance. Lance dashed towards her, then jumped to the side as she swung. He brought his left sword down on her head, but she spun out of the way and caught the blade on her own as Lance swung his other saber. She ducked under the swing and stabbed at Lance's exposed belly. He jumped back and knocked the katana away with his saber as he used his other to stab.

"Conceal." The assassin said. She vanished from view, and left Lance to ponder her location.

He was suddenly alerted of her presence when Benton gave a cry for help. He turned, and was greeted with the horrific sight of the assassin standing behind Benton, with a bare knife held up right against his neck, near the jugular vein.

"I will get what I came for, and that means you, Lance." The assassin snarled. "…Even if it means taking this oaf's life first. I care not now many people I have to cut down."

Just as the assassin was about to cut Benton's neck, suddenly, he wasn't there.

"Really? How many people-" SHING! "…Would you be willing to cut down, even if they were innocent?" Lance asked as he drew his swords from the assassin's chest.

"Darn…" The assassin hissed, before she fell down on her face, dead.

"The leader of the assassins has been defeated. Victory goes to Clan Blue Storm!" The judge declared, before vanishing. He healed the fighters before he left, and the second the Viera assassins were revived, they fled the scene, and left behind their leader.

Lance had his blades ready by his hips, and stared into the assassin's face with a blank expression. Benton stood behind her, and had her arms twisted behind her back. All Benton had to do, was twist her arm, and her arm would be broken.

"Who hired you?" Lance asked with an indifferent tone.

"Yess, tell uss." Benton suggested subtly, by giving her arm a slight twist and making her whimper in pain.

"It was just a job." The assassin said.

"A job at the pub? Or from a more informal source?" Lance asked in a more urgent tone.

"It was-" She was cut off, because a dagger shot right through her temple, and killed her on the spot before she could even gasp. Lance quickly whipped around, and drew his sabers faster than a normal person could blink, but the perpetrator was nowhere to be seen.

"We're leaving. Now." Lance said.

Benton sighed with deep despair, as he dropped the corpse of the assassin. He had not wanted any true harm to befall her. He chased after Lance as they headed back to the hovercraft on the outskirts of the city.

When they got there, Lance quickly vaulted into the front seat, and started it up. By the time Benton jumped in, and strapped in, Lance was ready to take off.

As the hovercraft shot off at top speed, a figure stood in the late night shadow of one of the outer buildings. He pocketed the dagger he was moments from throwing, and quickly disappeared, as if he had never existed.

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When Lance arrived back at his fortress in some uncharted woods outside Salikawood, he was relieved to see that nothing had happened.

It was early morning, and the sun was just starting to peek above the horizon.

"Lance?"

"Yes?"

"I've decided. I put you at risk, earlier. I'm a burden, an I will stay at home." Benton said in a deeply apologetic, and sorrowful voice.

"You were nothing of the sort, Benton." Lance said. "I had the situation under control. However, if you truly wish to stay at home, I will respect that decision."

"I am ssorry Lance, but I am staying."

"I understand."

"WHAT in the HEY happened to you!?!?!" A voice screamed.

"…Clementina! How nice to see you!" Lance said in as happy and joyful a voice as he could.

"What are you doing, getting back so late!?!? And wait…Is that blood?" She asked as she walked over to Benton and wiped off a bit of blood that was on Benton's shoulder.

"I don't know what happened, but you have some explaining to do. NOW." Tina demanded.

Lance whistled loudly, and let the note hang in the still, cold morning air.

He knew he wasn't getting out of this one.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Well, that's all for today! Tell me what you think, and see ya around!

With that said, Adieu, and Review!

-Shining Riku-

(The above is just my usual closing saying. You don't have to review if you don't want to, but I'd appreciate it!)


	6. Interlude I

Well, I owe Nintendogeek01 one, for this interlude thing, and for the race description thingy.

Well, Thank you, Square Enix, for an awesome game, and Thank you, Nintendogeek, for writing what is easily one of the most awesome stories ever!

Disclaimer: All I own is my characters and my story. Square Enix owns the game period, and most everything else. Nintendogeek01 owns the interlude…thingy, and the race description thingy.

This is an interlude chapter, so, you don't have to review it if you don't feel like it. It's merely here for the purpose of helping you keep up with the main characters, and such.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ivalice

In a world very different from ours, a world where harsh deserts, lush forests, dank caves, and live cities and towns coexist, there are the five races. The races form the common people and the government of Ivalice. And most notably, they form the clans. The clans battled for influence, popularity, money, and more often than not for the adventure. The five races contributed the below to Ivalice.

The Humans, the most dominant race in this land of Ivalice, populate every city in this country. Though the majority of the human population is found in Cyril, many form the royal guard and the judicial system in Ivalice. In the clans the variety of magical and physical skills of the humans contribute greatly.

The Bangaa, the large lizard-like race. Although most who refer to bangaas as lizards usually don't live to see the light of day. They are generally temperamental and easily provoked in to battle, but they are also more intelligent with very well adapted senses of smell and hearing. The bangaa are staples in the royal guard for their physical prowess and this has earned their place in clans as well.

The Moogles, the small white ones. Though small and sometimes underestimated, they are most dexterous and skilled mechanists. A few moogles history have contributed to the invention of the revolutionary airship. They are toolsmen, shopkeepers, magicians and physical fighters known for their surprisingly high stamina and resistance.

The Nu Mou, the dog-like wise ones. Peaceful, and enlightened. The Nu Mou are among the most intelligent of all the races. Their magical powers have led to a general understanding of the world and its history. They are usually consulted as advisors within the government and their magical abilities make them an excellent asset to any clan.

The Viera, agile and rabbit-like. They are a beautiful and entirely female race. Their children are born with humans, any female born in to such a couple is a viera and any male born is human. Vieras posses superior agility to other races and are also quite adept at magic, arguably second only to the Nu Mou in magic. They are often used as scouts and support in the royal guard and they help clans in a wide variety of manners.

The whole of Ivalice has experienced peace for many generations, but the curtain has been drawn on the age of prosperity. Ivalice, as all know it, will fall.

What has been happening to the missing judges, and why is it that nobody has taken action? That, and more, could only be revealed by time, and the right actions.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Interlude I

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Here's the format I'll be using for describing my characters, courtesy of Nintendogeek01.

Name: Everybody has one, I hope…

Race: The race of the character

Gender: We all know that all Viera are women…Right?

Age: The age of the character

Class/Job: What job/class the character is

Position: Depends on what they do, say, Clanmaster, Judge, you get the picture.

Physical description: Physical features. Ya better have a decent imagination so ya can picture all zis…

Personality: What the person is like

Skills: Abilities they have assigned and such. Even Reaction-abilities and Support-abilities.

Equipment: What equipment they have. I'm a super nerd, too. No questions!

Other Info: Anything else that's noteworthy about the character.

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Name: Lance

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 30

Class/Job: Blue Mage

Position: Clanmaster of Clan Blue Storm.

Physical description: Five feet and eight inches in height, with brown hair just above his neck. Long strands of hair in the front of his face, down the sides by his ears. Has two small blue earrings. His eyes are a deep and beautiful blue, and they shine with a determined and compassionate light. Wears a Blue tunic with long sleeves, and a long, flowing blue cape with a navy blue underside. Wears Puffy, white pants with black boots up to his knees, and a think, heavy leather studded belt around his waist with two orange tinted sabers tucked in carelessly. Wears a pirate's hat, with a stained blue feather attached to the front by the clan symbol: a blue lightning bolt.

Personality: Fairly laid back and easy going, likes to play around with his clan members. Takes things seriously when he should. Thinks of his clan as his family, and will go to any ends to make sure that they stay well, and out of any real danger. Has a very good temper, and is rarely seen mad: In fact, nobody can remember a time when he has been mad. At times, extremely irresponsible, without intending to be.

Skills: Blue Magic (Master), Chivalry (Master), Bonecrusher, Doublesword

Equipment: Soul Saber, Soul Saber, Judge Coat, Angel Ring, Dash Shoes

Other Info: Lance is very protective of his hat. He gets very unhappy when he is separated from his hat, and under no circumstances would he leave it unattended. He has yet to explain his behavior, and dodges it whenever it is brought up.

He almost made everybody in his clan wear blue, but eventually decided against it, thinking that they deserved to have their individuality.

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Name: Rolf

Race: Bangaa

Gender: Male

Age: 37

Class/Job: Templar

Position: Second in command of Clan Blue Storm.

Physical Description: Stands at a towering six feet and four inches. Wears green templar robes, with golden templar armor. Has puffy black pants on under his robes, and wears brown leather boots. Has intelligent and calculating green eyes, and dark khaki colored skin.

Personality: A responsible and respectable bangaa that dislikes unnecessary violence. ESPECIALLY hates irresponsibility, and dereliction of duty, and takes great pains to see that everybody does their deemed share of the work. It pains him deeply that his own Clanmaster, Lance, falls into the category of irresponsible, and he tries his best to make a better man out of him. Extremely strong and wise for a Templar. A pro at both single and melee fights.

Skills: Sacred Tech(Master), Monk Tech(Master), Bonecrusher, Weapon Att+

Equipment: Beastspear, Maximilian, Bangaa Helm, Genji Armlets, Dash Shoes

Other Info: He greatly respects Lance, and the two obviously have a past, but they won't talk about it. It just kills him that Lance won't change, though.

He hasn't mentioned it in great detail, but he used to be a Royal Knight, but he quit for personal reasons.

He was greatly opposed to making the clan members wear blue. Secretly, he's color-blind, but other than that, his eyesight is clearer than average, for a Bangaa.

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Name: Clementina

Race: Viera

Gender: Female

Age: 24

Class/Job: Red Mage

Position: Elite of Clan Blue Storm

Physical Description: Is five feet and four inches high. She wears pink red mage clothing, with a purple sash instead of a belt. Wears her pink hat with the tip slight smashed, and has a lazy left ear that droops. Wears her silver waist length hair loose, and lets it hang. Has bright and cheery blue eyes. Her fair skin easily flushes in the cold.

Personality: A very happy, and kind individual. She is very helpful around the fort, and has a tendency to be working on a few different tasks at once. She is a young adult, but she acts a little immature at times, and is naive. Secretly harbors a crush on Lance, but is too shy to say anything about it.

Skills: Red Magic(Master), Aim(Master), Reflex, Magic Pow+

Equipment: Last Letter, Red Robe, Cachusha, Star Armlet, Red Boots

Other Info: A very tidy individual, and an awesome cook to boot. She feeds the clan, basically, and helps out with most of the cleaning, along with the neat-freak Rolf.

Her left ear stiffens when she is alarmed, or hears something that causes her worry.

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Name: Ira

Race: Moogle

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Class/Job: Gunner

Position: Elite of Clan Blue Storm

Physical Description: Three feet and three inches high. Wears a brown shirt with a black jacket, and a green beret. Has very neat and tidy white fur, and very innocent and determined green eyes. Has a hole in his beret so that his pom pom and the connective stalk can poke through. He wears brown pants with a black belt and a holster for his gun, and little black shoes.

Personality: He has a slightly frail, and sickly body, but his determination and passion for life make most others look like pitiful sparks. He values his friendship in Lance, and the other clan members, because, now, they are all he has. He enjoys talking with his friends, and having a good time with them, but he will always stand up for what is right, even if it kills him in the process. He is especially close to Lance.

Skills: Gunmanship(Master), Pandora(Master), Last Haste, Concentrate

Equipment: Longbarrel, Brigandine, Green Beret, Bracers, Caligula

Other Info: He lost his family in an accident, and Lance happened to be around when it happened. Lance barely managed to rescue him. He has suffered poor health and a frail and broken body since, but he refuses to let it prevent him from doing his best.

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Name: Seth

Race: Moogle

Gender: Male

Age: 21

Class/Job: Juggler

Position: Elite of Clan Blue Storm

Physical Description: Three feet and six inches high. Wears an ordinary moogle juggler's outfit, with it's main colors being black and blue. Has light brown eyes that glow with mischevious energy, and wears blue paint streaks around his eyes, as per custom of moogle jugglers.

Personality: A mischievous rogue that enjoys juggling more than anything. He likes to play clever pranks, but he never means any harm in doing so. He creates a lively atmosphere around the fort, and keeps life from getting dull and boring by providing entertainment, not to mention the occasional devilishly clever prank. Gets bored easily, and has limitless energy.

Skills: Stunt(Master), Steal(master), Counter, Concentrate

Equipment: Orichalcum, Mirage Vest, Thief Hat, Thief Armlets, Germinas

Other Info: Talented at woodcarving. Very secretive about it, and would rather burn in Hades than be caught dead doing it. He doesn't want to tarnish his reputation of being destructive and all around crazy. Likes mauling enemies with his juggling balls in battle.

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Name: Elija

Race: Nu Mou

Gender: Male

Age: 80

Class/Job: Sage

Position: Elite of Clan Blue Storm

Physical Description: Five feet high. Wears purple variation of sage robes, with no cap atop his head. Has very soft grey fur, with a pink nose. Has light brown eyes that brim with wisdom.

Personality: Blunt, and right to the point, but as nicely as he can put it. Enjoys learning, and has a tendency to pay attention to EVERY last detail of everything that he sees, hears, etc. Very clever. He has an easy time solving puzzles with his analytical mind.

Skills: Sagacity Skill(Master), Black Magic(Master), Return Magic, Turbo MP

Equipment: Sage Crosier, Black Robe, Sacri Shield, Fortune Ring, Fairy Shoes

Other Info: Researches for a method of mixing spells together. So far, has only succeeded in blackening his best set of robes with an explosion.

Used to work under the renowned alchemist, Count Basil.

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Name: Benton

Race: Bangaa

Gender: Male

Age: 60

Class/Job: Bishop

Position: Clan Priest

Physical Description: Slender for a Bangaa. Six feet and three inches high. Has light, yellow, sandy colored skin. Wears blue Bishop robes with a yellow collar and steely purple shoulder mail. Has a blue bishop's hat, with purple armor plate covering the top of his head. Slightly cloudy green eyes that have a content, and calm glow. Almost always, he is seen with a slight smile.

Personality: Quiet, and peaceful. Dislikes violence, and tries his best to stay out of it, unless he has to. Then, he takes it seriously, and does his best. Spends his time mostly by himself, reading, but enjoys the presence of fellow clan members as well.

Skills: Prayer(Master), Item, Reflex, Half MP

Equipment: Dream Watcher, Light Robe, Circlet, Angel Ring, Star Armlet

Other Info: Regrettably, has very poor eyesight, and is slowly going blind. He wishes he had good eyesight, but, is taking it kinda well.

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Name: Chaka

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 18

Class/Job: Soldier

Position: Clan Member of Clan Blue Storm.

Physical description: Five feet and seven inches high. Wears black variation of Soldier outfit. Has dark blue eyes, and light brown hair. Carries his metal shield on his back, and wears his sword on his belt on his right side.

Personality: Naughty. Loves playing pranks along with Seth, but is careful not to do anything mean of hurtful. He likes battling, and partnering up with Seth.

Has a crush on Becile, but absolutely refuses to admit it, and does a decent job of covering it up. Becile has yet to notice.

Skills: Battle Tech(Master), Fighter Tech, Strikeback, Immunity

Equipment: Buster Sword, Carabini Mail, Opal Helm, Shijin Shield, Battle Boots

Other Info: Ordinary clan member. Prefers to fight with battle partners, and work together as a team.

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Name: Becile

Race: Viera

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Class/Job: Summoner

Position: Clan Member

Physical Description: Five feet and six inches high. Has shoulder length silver hair, and blue eyes. Wears a headband with a summoner's horn atop, and has straight, light brown bunny ears. Wears a purple sleeveless shirt and a black vest, with two golden belts across her chest in an X fashion. Wears puffy purple pants, and black boots up halfway her lower leg.

Personality: Happy person. Almost always happy, and helps keep up the team morale. Helps people out whenever she can, and likes helping out strangers, too, if they need it.

Gets annoyed by Chaka's and Seth's jokes sometimes when they are played on her, but laughs along with them. Good sport.

Skills: Summon Magic, White Magic, Absorb MP, Half MP

Equipment: Cheer Staff, White Robe, Barette, Ruby Earring, Magic Ring

Other Info: Ordinary clan member. Works together as a team with others.

Harbors feelings for Chaka, but is too shy to tell him. Has yet to notice his feelings for her, as well.

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Name: Gillis

Race: Moogle

Gender: Male

Age: 12

Class/Job: Time Mage

Position: Clan member

Physical Description. Two feet and ten inches. Wears normal Time Mage garb. Has white fur and bright, youthful brown eyes.

Personality: Extremely skittish. He is easy to scare, and since he's so tiny, is very easily intimidated by almost anything. His love of sweets is stronger than his fear, and he may battle if he is promised candy in return. He mostly behaves himself, and is a good little moogle.

Skills: Time Magic, Item, Last Quicken, Concentrate

Equipment: Force Rod, Thunder Robe, Circlet, Gauntlets, Spiked Boots

Other Info: Sticks close to big allies in battle, because he is almost defenseless on his own. Ira's cousin.

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Name: Samantha (Sammy)

Race: Moogle

Gender: Female

Age: 15

Class/Job: Black Mage

Position: Clan Member

Physical Description: Three feet and four inches high. Wears red robes instead of blue black mage robes, and has a red straw hat with a ribbon on it on her head. Bright blue eyes and tidy, glossy white fur.

Skills: Black Magic, Item, Return Magic, Shieldbearer

Equipment: Sleet Rod, Thunder Robe, Ice Shield, Fire Mitts, Dash Shoes

Other Info: Ordinary Clan member. Gillis' older sister, and Ira's cousin.

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Name: Marie

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Class/Job: Ninja

Position: Clan Member

Physical Description: Five feet three inches. Wears white ninja robes, with a hole in the back of the turban so her waist length brown hair can poke through, in a ponytail. Has white fingerless gloves, and lavender colored eyes.

Personality: Kind of emotionless. Is skilled in battle, and constantly offers ways to improve on battle styles, etc.

Skills: Ninja Skill, item, Reflex, Turbo MP

Equipment: Heaven's Cloud, Ninja Gear, Star Armlet, Ninja Tabi, Dash Shoes

Other info: None

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Name: Darren

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Class/Job: Ninja

Position: Clanmaster of Clan Shadow

Physical Description: Same height as Lance. Wears deep purple ninja robes, and has green eyes with a scar under his right eye.

Personality: Honorable, and competitive. Occasionally make a fool of himself. Leads his clan with responsibility, and care.

Skills: Ninja Skill(Master), Steal(Master), Reflex, Doublesword

Equipment: Charfire, Silkmoon, Dark Gear, Bracers, Dash Shoes

Other Info: Considers Lance to be a friendly rival, and attempts to compete with him often, with Lance always coming out on the winning side. Fights until the day he finally gains victory, at least once. Acts as the father figure of his clan.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Dang, this took me forever to type. I hope it helps out! I enjoyed typing it, because it helps me visualize my own characters. I also like showing their skills, and stuff. It's cool.

Anyways, see you all next time!

With that said, Adieu, and Review!

-Shining Riku-


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